We enjoyed our one night's stay at El Tovar after being in Kachina for one night since the properties were full and I couldn't get 2 consecutive nights in one place. Despite our being on the property next door, we still had to wait until 3:58pm to check in . We sat on the porch enjoying the views while our room was readied and our baggage was stored, so it wasn't a hard wait and it was fun to chat with others who had made the trek to the floor of the Canyon and back. To our delight, they needed our 2 queen beds room so we were upgraded to a suite which was FABULOUS! Did we feel special or what? Dinner in the dining room was fair but the atmosphere was great. Then, we saw 2 elk that evening grazing on the front lawn of the lodge which was a grand finish to a glorious day.

The reviews here prepared us for our stay and it is what we expected. Our room had 2 double beds and it was an average size. Our friends had a single bed in their room and it was quite small. The room is average in almost every way. Nothing stands out. The beds are average and so are the furnishings. It was nothing out of the ordinary. The hotel is historic and has a nice feel to it. The real reason we booked was the location. You can't beat it. And it was worth it just for the location. Right on the canyon rim and close to everything. We couldn't find any hotel that had better accomodations with as good of a location as this. The rate was a bit pricey at $199/night but again, it's the location you're paying for here. I would stay here again if we came back. It was all we needed.

We stayed at the El Tovar, and had the 3rd Flr "rooftop garden suite". Paid $379 total for the one night. We had a two room suite (one room with couch, round table 4 chairs, sliders to patio, the other room with king size bed) . The patio was about 30 feet long, and 15 feet wide, with a full patio set, and two chaise lounges. The view: overlooked the grand canyon (about 30 percent view, and beautiful), the Hopi House (saw it compleItely), and the railroad station, all the way to our right. We were booked at a hotel outside of the Park, but got this reservation through xanterra (the only way you can book it i think). We felt it wasdefinitely worth spending the night there. Catching the sunset, having dinner there, and then catching the sunrise while still in your pajamas made us feel really special. Dinner at the El Tovar Dining Room was excellent, with friendly service. The suite was clean (something I'm particular about!!), and the bath water was hot with no wait as I have read in past postings. Also, they let us check in early (1pm). If you go, enjoy!

This was our second stay at El Tovar after staying here some 15 years ago. We had a standard room on the 3rd floor. The room was very small and felt real confining but it was clean with everything in working order. There is no elevator so at 6000+ feet we did feel every stair. We dined in the hotel and had an excellent dinner which I can say was the best of our 10 day Arizona, Utah and Nevada trip. The hotel is located right on the rim which made it convienent since we walked the rim trail for the 2 days we were there. There was an older woman who played the piano every day (late afternoon/early evening) in a second floor "lobby" type area. She was excellent and well worth listening to. Make sure you take the shuttle near sun down to Hopi point to view the sunset. So for a National Park hotel I would definately recommend the El Tovar and you won't be dissapointed with the dining room.